Why my children can’t get Nigerian citizenship — Kemi Badenoch
Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she is unable to pass on her Nigerian citizenship to her children because of her gender.
Badenoch made the remarks during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, where she criticised what she described as Britain’s overly lenient immigration system compared to stricter policies in other countries like Nigeria.
Highlighting what she sees as a double standard, Badenoch said immigrants often take advantage of the UK’s open immigration policies in ways they would not dare in their own countries.
“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said.
“Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive,” she added.
Her comments have sparked conversation around gender-based nationality laws in Nigeria and the UK’s approach to immigration control.
